Automatic door for turkey nests



Jan.,l8, 1938. A. D. DE HART AUTOMATIC DOOR FOR TURKEY NESTS Filed NOV. 17, 1956 ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 18, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFNE AUTOMATIC DOOR FOR TURKEY NESTS 1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to a protective device for nesting turkeys and in particular relates to an automatic door for a turkey nest.

When a turkey is nesting in a box nest; other .5 turkeys which are not nesting tend to annoy the turkey and to all huddle together and pile up on the nest, resulting in broken eggs and a poor hatch.

It is therefore the primary object of my invention to provide a door for a turkey nest arranged to permit the entry of only one turkey to the nest and to prevent other turkeys from entering the nest during those periods when the one turkey is on the nest.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claim.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the door prior to the entry of a turkey into the nest.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the door in the same position on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the position of the door after the entry of a turkey int-o the nest being shown in dotted lines.

Referring now more particularly to the charac ters of reference on the drawing, the device comprises a frame including a top member I, a bottom member 2 and side members 3 and 4, respectively, these frame members being arranged to provide a substantially rectangular door opening 5. This frame is mounted in connection with the open side of a box nest (not shown) of any suitable kind.

The door is made up of two identical sections, indicated generally at 6 and I, disposed at right angles to each other. Each door section comprises a pair of panels 8 spaced apart horizontally and secured together adjacent the top by cross members 9 secured on both sides thereof. A diagonally extending brace I is secured between the edges of corresponding panels of both sections.

A horizontal'rod II is fixed at one end to and extends from the side frame member 4 to a point adjacent the side frame member 3, the rod being bent upward at that point, as at 12, and fixed at the other end to the top frame member I. A relatively long sleeve I3 is rotatably disposed on the rod and the door is secured to this sleeve by clamping bolts M. The cross members 9 are cut away at 15 to permit the door to swing on the'r'od without engaging the upturned portion l2. The panels 8 are of such length that when in a vertical position they will engage the bottom frame member 2.

A snap spring I6, of the tension type, is secured at its upper end to the top frame member at a point above the rod l I to one side of the upturned portion l2 thereof and the adjacent side of the door sections, and is attached at its lower end to brace l0 centrally of its ends.

A guard board I! is fixed to the top frame member i and projects horizontally and outward from the door frame and above the door, the guard board being of substantially the same length and width as the door section 6.

Operation In use, my improved door operates in the following manner.

When the nest is not in use, the door is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. A turkey desiring to enter the nest places its head and neck between the spaced panels 8 of door section I. Then, as its body engages said panels and the turkey pushes on the panels in order to enter the nest, the door section 1 is swung inward. As soon as the snap spring 16 passes dead center, it acts to swing the door to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, panels 8 of door section 6 then being vertically disposed and engaged with the outside of bottom frame member 2. This forms an effective closure for the nest and prevents other turkeys from gaining entrance to the nest during the period that one turkey is nesting. Too, due to the construction of the door, only one turkey can gain entrance to the nest at one time.

When the turkey in the nest desires to leave, it pushes outward on door section 6 which then snaps up to a horizontal position, while door section 1 drops to a vertical position, the lower ends of the panels engaging the bottom frame member 2 on the inside. The door section I is then restored to its original position, ready to permit of the subsequent entrance of a turkey.

The guard board I! prevents turkeys from roosting on door section 6, which would result in operation of the door without entry of a turkey to the nest.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and. useful and. desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A closure for a nest for fowls, comprising a frame adapted to surround a door opening, a pivot member secured on the frame, a door turn- 

